A Bat-Christmas Carol
by Guy who writes good stuff
Summary: It's Christmas in Gotham and everyone's celebrating...except its defender. Batman has always been a grump around Christmas. Though one night, everything will change. A rendition of Dicken's timeless classic.
1. Chapter 1: A Bat-Scrooge

**Ho ho ho! Happy Holidays everybody! I've decided to take a break from my usual stories to wrote this short one! All throughout December I'll be uploading chapters for this wonderful tale. So let's cut the bullshig and shat and get right to it shall we? **

**This is a Bat Christmas Carol!**

It's Christmas Eve in Gotham City. The streets are bright with Christmas decorations, they're surprisingly calm (for Gotham anyway) and everyone was either celebrating or sleeping soundly.

All except for one.

In the dank, dark chamber of the Batcave, one man was staring at a computer screen laid before him. He was the Batman, the Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader...or as Nightwing liked to call him, Scrooge.

Ok, Batman didn't necessarily not like Christmas, he just thought there were more important things to focus on. He swore to keep Gotham's streets safe, and that's what he planned to do. He continued staring at his screens until he heard some footsteps behind him.

"What is it, Alfred?" He asked.

"You've been watching those screens all day, Master Bruce." Alfred walked up to his master holding a tea tray with some mugs on it. "I think it's high time you took a break."

"I can't, Alfred." Batman responded. "With nightfall here, the criminals will be out soon." Alfred placed a steaming mug on the desk of the Batcomputer. Batman took a sip from the cup. Hot chocolate. "Besides, with Christmas Eve here, they'll catch all the sleeping citizens unaware. I'm staying aware for all of them."

Alfred sighed. "Perhaps you could at least send some Christmas cards to the family, Master Bruce?" He suggested.

Batman paused for a minute before responding. "They'll understand." Alfred put his hand over his face.

"I give up, Master Bruce." He said. "Every year, I try, but I get nowhere with you!" Alfred gathered up the mug he placed on the desk and put it back on his tray. "When you've gathered your holiday spirit, you know where to find me." Alfred went up the elevator back to the Wayne Manor living room.

Batman felt a little bad about flat-out rejecting Alfred's proposal, but chose to feel bad later, as the night was young. On the screen one of the cameras showed graffiti that read: MERRY XMAS BATS!

Batman remembered that encounter just a few days earlier, where the Joker, Harley Quinn, and their gang held up a shopping mall stealing presents and holding children hostage. Joker and Harley dressed up as Santa and Mrs Claus, and his gang members were wearing reindeer antlers along with their usual clown makeup. One with dynamite strapped to him had a red nose.

Batman easily dealt with them, and Joker and Quinn were tossed back into Arkham. Arkham was packed this Christmas. Most of Gotham's super-criminals were locked away this holiday, a fact which Batman was grateful for.

Suddenly, a beeping was heard. Batman looked and saw a "T" symbol blinking in the corner of the screen. He clicked it and a familiar face showed up on the screen.

"What is it?" Batman asked.

"Well, merry Christmas to you too!" Nightwing sarcastically told his old mentor.

Batman narrowed his eyes. He didn't appreciate the sarcasm. "Why did you call me?" He asked.

"What, a guy can't call up his old mentor on Christmas?" Nightwing answered.

"There are more important things you can do." Batman said. "You should be out patrolling the streets."

"Always with the patrolling." Nightwing rubbed his temple. "Y'know, you really need to loosen up around the holidays."

"I can't." Batman answered. "You know that."

"No, you just don't want to." Nightwing said. There was a brief silence before Nightwing looked over his shoulder. "Gotta go. Bah Humbug to you too!" The stream cut and it was back to security camera monitoring again. Batman sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. He loved Nightwing like a son, but he could be a real pain the ass sometimes.

The silent staring went on for almost an hour when one of the screens went fuzzy. Batman looked at it, confused before fiddling with it a bit. While he was doing that, another screen shorted out...and another, and another, and another until the entirety of his observation was cut off. Soon after, his Batcomputer went dark.

Batman looked around the Batcave in a battle stance. What had happened? Joker? Strange? Scarecrow?

Batman heard a noise behind him and swung around, Batarang in hand, and nearly dropped it when he saw what it was.

**Ho ho how was it? I suppose you all know what happens next but here's the thing: I haven't decided on a name for the character coming up. I want YOUR suggestions! Try to include a Batman lore reference...for me? Anyways, review, follow, share it wit yo friends! Peace out posse!**


	2. Chapter 2: Noel

**Hello again everybody! I received some reviews and believe it or not, I never even HEARD of the Noel graphic novel beforehand! What a small world, isn't it? Anyway, enjoy.**

"Wh-Who are you!?" Batman regained his composure and glared at the figure in his cave.

"I've had many names." The figure said. It was an opaque, glowing man with a grey glowing aura around him. He wore a ripped suit with a frilly shirt underneath along with ripped pants, black shoes, and no socks. He wore a wide-brimmed top hat with a mistletoe sticking up and snow on the brim. "Though nowadays I go by Noel."

"You have 5 seconds to tell me what you're doing here." Batman threatened Noel.

Noel sighed. "You're quite subtle Mr Wayne." he said.

"What!?" Batman asked.

"Yes, yes, I know who you are." Noel said, adjusting his hat. Batman noticed chains attached to cuffs on his wrists as he did so.

"How did you find out?" Batman asked, menacingly.

"I know a great many things, one of which is your true identity." Noel said. "Would you believe I was a detective once?" Batman quirked an eyebrow. "Oh yes, and a damn good one at that."

Noel traced his fingers along the desk of the Batcomputer. Batman noticed the rattling of chains as he walked. "I hated criminals more than anything in the world. They took my parents too, Wayne."

Batman was suspicious, but kept quiet. "Indeed. I was blinded by rage after that. Jailed my own sister when she was afflicted with drug charges." He wiped a tear from his eye. "When Christmas came around...I was like you."

"Me?" Batman asked.

"Yes. Grouchy, spiteful, distant from my family." Noel said. "On Christmas day, 1951...I was killed. Chained and beaten by spiteful family members of a man I turned in." Batman cringed inwardly.

"Do you know was there to save me?" Noel didn't give Batman a chance to answer. "No one. Not my family. Not my friends. Nobody..." Noel paused for a moment. "Now look at me."

The spectre turned to Batman. "I'm still in chains, my clothes are torn, and I retain the bruises of my abuse." Noel lifted his shirt to reveal nasty marks all over his body. Once the Caped Crusader got a look, Noel put his shirt down again. "As far as I can tell, no one mourned."

"I'm sure someone did." Batman said, skeptical.

"Oh really?" Noel asked. "Imagine distancing yourself from your entire family and never seeing them or vice versa. That was my fate." Noel sighed. "And soon, it will be yours."

"I don't believe in fate." Batman said coldly.

"Believe what you will, but I will tell you this." Noel straightened his jacket. "You will be visited 3 times more, Batman. Each visitor more terrifying than the last!" Noel pointed to the air for emphasis, then to Batman. "You've been warned, Wayne. Change...or else!" Noel snapped his fingers and smoke surrounded him.

Batman waved the smoke away to find that Noel had vanished, leaving only a few snowflakes from his hat.

**Yep that's how it is. Special thanks to koryanders for giving me the name 'Noel'. Happy holidays everybody!**


	3. Chapter 3: Past Sins

**Boo! I'm back. How's it hanging? Here's the next chapter.**

Batman sat at his computer typing away. He tried to find some information on this "Noel" who visited him. All he could find were pages on Pére Noel and a Christmas-themed graphic novel. After at least an hour of searching, Batman slumped back into his chair and rubbed his temples. Noel said that he'd be visited 3 times more. Who would be visiting him? After some thought, he decided to call in some help.

"Barbara, you there?" Batman put 2 fingers to his radio.

"Yeah, what is it?" Barbara answered.

"I need you to look up everything you can on a figure named Noel." Batman requested.

The Batgirl on the other end sighed. "It's Christmas Eve, Bruce. Can it wait?" Before Batman could say it, Barbara said "Wait! I know the answer: no." Batman stayed silent. "I'll get on it." The channel went silent.

The Dark Knight paused before removing his mask. It felt a tad refreshing, as his mask was a little hot, especially while he was indoors. He got to thinking...what did Noel mean? Like him? Sure, he hated criminals, but he wouldn't attack his own family...would he? He didn't have much time to think though, as all the light in the Batcave vanished in a second.

Batman turned on the night-vision feature on his cowl and scanned the room. What he saw nearly blinded him in his night-vision. He turned it off to see what looked like a glowing flame in the distance. He threw a batarang at the flame, but it did nothing. The flame flew close to Batman quite fast...and the flame had a face.

"Hello, Bruce." The flame said, it's voice like a wispy wind. It showed an opaque body floating beneath it.

"Who are you? Who sent you?" Batman demanded.

"I sent myself." The flame answered. "I am the Spirit of Christmas Past. Come, we have much to see." The spirit grabbed Batman's arm, and before he could resist, he was being pulled through what appeared to be a snowstorm. When the snow cleared, Batman found himself in front of his mansion again. It was daytime though, and there were Christmas lights lined across the edge of the roof.

"What did you do?" Batman asked the spirit.

"Don't you recognize it?" The spirit asked. "This is your past." Batman stared at him incredulously. "Come. I shall prove it." The spirit guided Batman to a window, and for a second, the Caped Crusader thought he was in one of Scarecrow's visions.

Through the window, Batman saw himself as a young boy. He was playing with some toys that Batman forgot from his childhood. "That's...me." Batman thought aloud.

"Indeed." The spirit said.

"But what if he sees me? That might cause a paradox!" Batman told the spirit.

"He can't see or hear us." The spirit explained. "We are merely observers. These are simply echos of your memory." Batman kept his ever-present scowl and kept watching.

The door opened and a slightly younger-looking Alfred walked in. "Good day, Master Bruce." The butler said.

The young Bruce Wayne looked up. "Hey Alfred." He simply said.

The young Alfred looked concerned. "Something wrong, Master Bruce?" He asked.

The young Bruce Wayne sighed. "It's just...it's our first Christmas without Mom and Dad." The young Bruce started tearing up, Alfred coming to his side.

"I know it's hard, Master Bruce. It is for me too." Alfred began choking up, but stayed strong for his young master. "But we can still be happy this time of year. We still have each other, don't we?"

Young Bruce sniffed. "I guess."

Alfred smiled. "That's the spirit, Master Bruce." He then pulled out a small present and gave it to Young Bruce.

Batman stared at the scene in front of him with a blank face. His emotions were mixed at this point. He just relived an old memory, one he had hoped to forget.

"Come." The spirit said. "There is more to see." Batman found himself in a diner somewhat familiar to him. There was nobody there except Commissioner Gordon, with some of his hair actually retaining its colour. He just sat there, sipping some coffee.

Gordon lowered his head to check his phone. It was from Barbara. She had heard about the incident with the Joker and checked to see if he was ok. "Quite a night, eh?" The commissioner asked.

"Nothing I can't handle." Batman was sitting across from him.

"Is there anything you can't handle?" Gordon asked.

"I prefer to think not." Batman said. The Dark Knight also had a cup of coffee he was sipping.

Gordon shrugged. "Makes sense." He said. "So anyway, after this, what do you plan on doing?"

Batman just continued sipping.

"I'm not trying to pry, just curious." Gordon said. "Do have any friends? Family? I mean, besides that Robin kid."

Batman was silent before saying. "No."

Gordon nodded. "Yeah, figured as much." The two silently sipped their drinks for a while before finishing them.

"Look, I don't know if I have the right to be sorry for you..." Gordon said. "But...If there's no one you can turn to during the holidays, you know where to find me." He reached into his coat and grabbed his wallet but when he looked back he already saw money on the table. Batman was gone.

"One of these days..." Gordon whispered and proceeded to his car to drive back home, Batman watching from above.

The present-day Batman looked at the scene in front of him with the spirit beside him. **He offered to help me. **Batman thought.

The spirit's flame went out, and Batman was in darkness.

**How was it? I wouldn't know since I only got 1 REVIEW LAST CHAPTER! Sorry about that, I just love reviews.**


	4. Chapter 4: Christmas Presents

**Now we take a trip to some of Batman's friends' Christmases! Read on, friends.**

"Bruce? Bruce, can you hear me?" Barbara talked into her radio worriedly.

Batman shook his head. "I read you Barbara."

"Oh, thank God. I couldn't reach you for the past few minutes." The Batgirl said.

"I'm fine. Just some...technical problems." Batman lied. "I'll look into it. You got any information?"

"Listen to this: a patient at Arkham Asylum, Ebenezer Cratchet, said that a ghost who called himself Noel appeared to him in his cell." Barb explained. "He was already diagnosed with schizophrenia so they just wrote it off as an attack."

"Go on." Bruce said.

"Was announced criminally insane after killing a man who nearly bought his store from him, he was a superstore owner at that point. Real greedy fellow." Barbara continued explaining.

"Thanks Barbara." Batman said.

"Why did you want information on this 'Noel' anyway?" Barb asked.

Batman paused. "It's...personal, Barb."

"You know you can tell me, Bruce." Barbara said. "You can tell me anything."

"Maybe some other time, just...not now." Bruce said.

Barb sighed. "Alright." She said. "Good night, Bruce."

"Night, Barbara." Bruce said. "And...Merry Christmas."

Barbara was taken aback. She looked to the left, then to the right, then behind her, then she opened the window and stuck her head outside. Upon concluding the world was not in flames, the redheaded Batgirl slumped down on her bed to think.

Bruce rubbed his forehead. This night was just too much. First, a ghost who was murdered who claims to be just like him tells him he has a grim fate, then a living flame shows him his past. What does it all mean? He took a deep breath and sat back in his chair.

Just then, he thought he heard chuckling behind him. Not like Joker's laughter, something more friendly-sounding and deep. Batman turned around and found an extraordinary the unusual sight: a fat man in a green robe with a large bushy beard and a wreath on his head sitting in a chair surrounded by Christmas presents holding a torch.

Batman rubbed his temples. "I assume you're my second visitor?" He asked.

"Yes indeed! How did you guess?" The man said, laughing. "I'm the Spirit of Christmas Present, and it's my duty to show you yours!"

Batman sighed. "And if I refuse?" He asked.

"You don't really have much choice, my friend." The spirit said. "Come, let us see what's happening!" With that, the spirit's torch became extravagantly bright, forcing Batman to block his eyes. When he looked again, he was out of the Batcave. Batman was in the living room of Wayne Manor, with a roaring fireplace. There was a Christmas Tree in the corner covered in ornaments and lights as well as presents covering the bottom. Batman looked to his couch and saw Tim Drake sitting down, relaxing.

"Is everything okay, Master Tim?" Alfred walked into the room carrying 2 streaming mugs.

Tim sighed. "It's nothing, Al. Just..." He trailed off.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred asked, sitting down beside him.

"...yeah." Tim answered. "He's a real jerk around the holidays you know?"

Alfred thought for a moment, then handed one of the mugs to Tim. "Let me ask you something." He said. "Do you know what month Master Bruce's parents were killed?"

Tim shook his head. "December." Alfred told him. "Yeesh" Tim said.

Alfred nodded sadly. "That's probably one reason Master Bruce is never in the Christmas spirit."

Tim nodded. "He probably also thinks the world is gonna end if he ever takes a break from being 'The Dark Knight' for one second." He took a sip from his mug.

Alfred sighed. "Yes, that's probably the reason." He said. "Though it is for a good cause." He sipped his mug while sitting back.

"Y'know what I think?" Tim asked.

"What?" Alfred said.

"I think he gives too much of himself." Tim said. "He's TOO selfless. He's watching over the city to make sure nothing bad happens, and not giving a second thought to any joy in the air. He needs to loosen up, that's what he needs."

Alfred nodded. "Perhaps you're right." He said.

"Tomorrow, we'll tell him that!" Tim said.

"Ah, YOU'LL tell him." Alfred said, smiling.

"Me? Why just me?" Tim asked.

"Your idea." Alfred said. "Besides, I don't want to put down my employer."

Tim sighed. "Fair enough." Alfred chuckled and sipped his drink.

Batman looked at the scene in front of him. "This is happening right now?" He asked.

"Yes it is." The spirit said. "It's quite interesting isn't it?"

"...yeah." Batman said.

"Well don't get comfortable!" The spirit said. "Our journey is far from over." The torch brightened again, and this time when he opened his eyes, Batman saw...and unexpected sight. The cafeteria of Arkham Asylum.

A very familiar cackle was heard and Batman turned around. Joker, Harley Quinn, Penguin, Two-Face, Riddler, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, and a bunch of Batman's other foes were gathered, talking. Joker stood in the middle of the room with everyone watching him.

"Oh, I've got it!" Joker said.

"Is it...an animal?" Scarecrow asked.

"Yes it is!" Joker answered. Batman assumed they were playing 20 questions.

"Is it big?" Two-Face asked.

"Right-o my friend!"

"Is it...stubborn?" Riddler took his turn.

"Yes indeed!"

"Is it an arse?" Penguin asked.

"Hmm, close but no cigar."

"Oh, I know! It's Batman!" Harley yelled.

"Right you are, my dear!" Joker answered and the room filled with laughter. Batman scowled.

When the laughter died down, Killer Croc sighed. "He is an ass ain't he?"

"Yes, yes indeed." Joker said. "But let's give him one thing: without him, we wouldn't be here tonight!"

"What's that s'post to mean?" Penguin asked.

"Well, if we weren't in Arkham we'd be spending Christmas alone with no one to talk to, share stories with, or even threaten." Joker said.

Several villains shrugged. "Well you're one to talk." Mr. Freeze said. "You have Harley."

"Well...what about the others?" Joker said.

"Poison Ivy has her plants, Riddler has Echo and Query, Penguin has his birds, (Hey!), Two-Face has his gang members, Scarecrow has his testing pets, and Croc has his fellow beasts." Freeze said. "I have a wife I could be getting back to. She's all I have left. And around Christmas I..." Freeze trailed off. A tear rolled down his cheek. "I'm leaving." He strode out of the cafeteria and the guards escorted him to his cell.

The rest of the crooks stared at the door for a bit until Joker said "Gee, what a party pooper!"

Batman saw the ongoing scene wondering what to think. "Are we done?" He asked.

"Nope!" The spirit exclaimed. "There's even more to see!" With the flashing torch, Batman appeared in an unfamiliar location. It looked like a mix between a kitchen and a living room. There was a oven, a fridge, a microwave, a bar, several couches, and a giant flat-screen tv. On said tv was a fireplace.

Looking around, Batman saw Nightwing casually relaxing on the couch, drinking some hot chocolate.

**He SHOULD be out patrolling the city. **Batman thought.

Suddenly, a door behind Batman opened, and a lovely young woman with tan skin, fiery red hair and green eyes wearing an outfit that closely resembled a swimsuit walked into the room, smiling. Batman figured it was the Starfire girl that Nightwing had described to him.

"Hello, Dick." She said, coming up to the couch and leaning her arms on it behind Nightwing's head.

Nightwing looked up. "Hey Star." He said, going back to his drink.

Starfire's smile faded slightly. "Something wrong?" She asked.

Nightwing sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, just a little tired is all."

Starfire smiled again. "The great and powerful Nightwing fatigued after a day of nothing but Christmas shopping?" She asked playfully.

Nightwing chuckled. "You want the truth?" He asked.

Starfire nodded. "To be honest, I'm a little bummed out that Batman blew me over again." Nightwing said.

Starfire looked at him, concerned. "Can you keep a secret?" Dick asked. Starfire nodded in response. Nightwing sighed. "I'm sad. Batman's like my father, and he ignores me every Christmas to make sure Two-Face doesn't flip his coin or something...it's just hard, y'know?"

"How do you think I feel?" Starfire said. "During the holidays, I miss my family, true...but I've moved on past that, and learned to share it with those who love me now." Starfire's eyes drifted to the young man in front of her.

Nightwing smiled, catching her drift. "Can you think of any examples?"

Starfire smiled and wrapped her arms around the vigilante on the couch, smiling warmly. "Merry Christmas, Dick." She whispered in his ear.

**Hello again, amigos. This chapter actually had more thought put into it than the last. Does it suck? Probably. Happy Xmas**


	5. Chapter 5: The Future looks Dark

**Aaaaaaaaaand here we are. Nice to see you all again. Well, it's almost Christmas and I finally get the final chapter ready. But enough about me, read about Batman!**

Batman stood motionless at the scene in front of him. His protégé, one he considered his son, saddened by his absence admitting it to the one he loved right in front of him. It was a very...enlightening experience.

"Spirit..." Batman began, unable to keep sadness out of his voice. "...take me back to the Batcave." No answer.

"Spirit?" Batman asked again. He turned around and found no spirit, just darkness. He turned around again to find that he was not in the room anymore, but a snowy field with nothing in it. He reached for a Batarang just in case, but found that his entire belt was empty.

Batman looked around, scanning the area. For almost an entire minute, all was quiet. Suddenly, a wind blew, and blew hard. The snow around the Dark Knight began swirling around and continued to do so until there was a tornado of snow surrounding him. A shadowy figure appeared through the storm. It stood for a few seconds before lunging at Batman.

When Batman opened his eyes, he found himself in the Batcave. It was dark, even more so than usual. Batman looked over to the Batmobile, which looked slightly different from before. He took a close look amd found it was...dusty. Why would it be dusty? He then turned around and saw the mannequins where he stored his suit and his family's as well.

There were his suit, in its usual place, along with Nightwing's, Robin's, Red Hood's, Batgirl's, Black Bat's, and some red-and-black suit he never saw before. He looked at them through the glass they were behind with a strange sense of nostalgia. Reflecting off the glass was a silhouette of a hooded man. Batman whirled around and there it stood.

"The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come?" Batman whispered. The figure nodded slowly, his face completely hidden under his hood.

"What happened?" Batman asked softly. The figure said nothing. Then, snow came out of nowhere, and surrounded Batman. When it cleared, the Caped Crusader stood outside Wayne Manor. It was night, and he could see Christmas lights in the distance. Wayne Manor on the other hand, didn't look too good. The windows were boarded, and it looked totally abandoned. The spirit appeared as a shadow, which Batman immediately noticed.

The spirit pointed, and Batman followed his finger. He saw a person in the distance, bending over. Batman walked closer, and saw that it was a woman. Upon closer inspection, she appeared to be Starfire, but she appeared to be in her thirties. She wore a large winter coat and parka. She stood up straight, and Batman noticed for the first time she wasn't the only one there. A young girl with Starfire's skin and eye colour, but but spikey black hair. Batman guessed she was Starfire's daughter. Both Starfire and the young one looked down at a spot on the ground, tears in their eyes. Batman looked and saw what he dreaded: a tombstone...with the words "Richard Grayson" carved upon it.

Batman stared open-mouthed. His son's grave, right in front of him. A pitcher of flowers was placed in front of it, along with a small present. Starfire and the young one walked off without a word, leaving Batman with the cursed stone slab. The spirit appeared behind him, and waved his hand in the direction behind the gravestone. There, Batman's shock grew ever stronger. "Tim Drake", "Jason Todd", "Cassandra Cain", "Alfred Pennyworth", and "Talia Al Ghul" all were carved on gravestones across the yard. Batman stared, breathing uneasily, when one gravestone caught his eye.

Between his parents' graves, there was one with a mark that made the Dark Knight's blood run cold. "Bruce Wayne". Batman dropped to his knees in front of his own headstone, unable to keep tears out of his eyes. He saw his entire family's graves, and now his own.

"Spirit..." He said quietly. "I understand now. Please...take me home." The spirit waved a hand, and the ground beneath Batman collapsed. Batman clawed at the snow before loosing his grip and falling down the pit, screaming.

Batman awoke in a cold sweat. He looked around frantically. He was back in the Batcave, in front of the Batcomputer. All seemed to be in place, nothing changed. Batman's breathing steadied as he got up. There was much to do.

Tim Drake woke up, stretched, and rubbed his eyes. He looked at his calendar. Christmas Day. **Looks like another year of Humbug **he thought. He walked out to get himself some breakfast and found a surprise: there were more presents under the Christmas tree than he remembered last night.

"Alfred, did you put those presents under the tree?" He asked.

"No." Said an Alfred who just arrived. The two looked at each other. **Is Calendar Man locked up this year? **They thought at the same time.

"I'll get the metal detector." Tim said.

Meanwhile, Nightwing woke up to a surprise. His computer showed an alert. He had an email. His eyes widened as he read it.

Starfire walked into the room and looked at Nightwing staring at the computer. "What's up, Dick?" She asked.

"I think I'm dreaming." Dick said. "This email from Bruce says he wants me to come over for Christmas." Starfire's eyebrows raised. "Oh, and...it says you can come too."

"I thought you said he didn't care about Christmas." Starfire said.

"I did." Dick replied. "You don't think..." Dick looked at Starfire. **Clayface? **They thought. "If we go, I'm bringing my weapons just in case."

"Good idea." Starfire agreed. "But I think we should go. It could be legitimate."

"If it is, I'll wear mistletoe on my forehead the whole trip back." Dick said, chuckling. Starfire giggled and said "Get your coat on, we're flying."

Mr. Freeze sat alone in his sub-zero cell, sad and alone. Suddenly, there was a banging at the door.

"Freeze! Package for you." One of the guards who volunteered to work on Christmas slipped an envelope through the mail slot on the cell door. Freeze looked at the envelope curiously, and opened it. Inside was a Christmas card, addressed to him.

Freeze opened the card. "Dear Mr. Freeze, I'm sorry you can't be with your wife around Christmas, but I'm sure she's with you in spirit. Merry Christmas." There was no name or return address, but for the first time in years, Freeze felt warm.

In an apartment in Blüdhaven, Jason Todd found a Christmas card in his mailbox.

In another apartment on the far side of Gotham, Cassandra Cain found a Christmas card in HER mail.

At the Gordon residence, the Commissioner found 2 Christmas cards in the mailbox, one for him, and one for Barbara. They were unsigned, but Barb could definitely hazard a guess as to who sent them.

Tim came back with a metal detector and found Bruce Wayne up.

"Bruce, what's with-" Tim began.

"I put them there." Bruce interrupted. Tim stared incredulously. "...When's my birthday?" He asked. Bruce smiled. When he answered correctly, Tim and Alfred's suspicions dropped.

"What happened last night, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.

Bruce sighed. "Call it a revelation." He said. "Of what I should be doing during the holidays." Alfred and Tim tilted their heads. "I suppose prowling the rooftops can wait. There's only one Christmas a year and...I want to spend it with my family this year."

Alfred smiled while Tim just continued staring. "I'm glad you think that, Master Bruce." Alfred said.

"Honestly? Me too." Bruce replied. Tim was still trying to process everything. "I'm gonna put this metal detector away." He said, walking off.

"You do that." Bruce said. Then, the doorbell rang. Bruce and Alfred went to answer it, and found Dick Grayson standing there.

"Hey Bruce." He said. "I got your email."

"I'm glad." Bruce said. "It was kinda last minute."

"Hehe, I bet." Dick said. "Say uh-"

"Your birthday is April 1st." Bruce said. Dick suddenly looked annoyed. "He's legit." He called out. Then, Starfire floated down from above. "Thought so." She said, smirking at Dick. She then turned to Bruce. They introduced each other and went inside. Dick said hello to Alfred and Tim, and introduced Starfire to them. The family caught up with each other when the doorbell rang again.

Bruce went to the door and found a familiar, lovely face standing there.

"Ah, hello Talia!" Bruce said.

"Hello, Bruce. I got your invitation." Talia said.

"I'm glad you did." Bruce replied. "Come on in." Talia entered the mansion and entered the room everyone else was in. Most were surprised to see her (except Starfire, who didn't know her at all.) but warmed up quickly. Things were going well, and Bruce was watching his family reconnect with a smile on his face.

Alfred tapped his shoulder. "It's a wonderful sight, isn't it sir?" He said.

"Yeah." Bruce said.

"I'm glad you changed your holiday plans, Master Bruce." Alfred said. "But may I ask, why did you do it?"

Bruce sighed. "I realised that, even though I devoted my life to helping those around me, I forgot about those right in front of me. The ones closest to me..." Alfred looked at his master thoughtfully.

"Well, thank you, sir." Alfred embraced his master, and he returned the favour. The rest of the day passed without incident. Gifts were exchanged, stories were shared, as well as...other things. For the first time in he didn't know how long, Bruce Wayne, the Batman, was happy to be with his family. There was some confusion though when Starfire asked for tape and mistletoe on the way out...

**How was it? I hope it was satisfying. I tried, at least right? Anyway, I spent a lot of time on this, so please be nice. Have yourself a happy holiday, whatever it is. Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or whatever else there is. Now if you'll excuse me, I have ponies to write about. Bye!**


End file.
